Peter’s Musings

If you have chosen to add hardwood floors to your home renovations you have made a great decision if you are planning to maintain the hardwood floors. Flooring that is hardwood is made using mature trees, it is then treated and finished. But hardwood will absorb moisture and also scratch if something is dragged across it.

Leaving a puddle of water in your hardwood floors would not be a great idea. The cracks in between the hardwood will absorb the moisture and swell. If this happens in even a little spot it will still be noticeable. If any liquid is spilled on the floor you need to soak up the fluid right away. Use a damp mop only when you clean your hardwood floors. There are also floor cleaners that are specially formulted for hardwood floors that you could use, like hardwood floors usually. Either way only a damp mop should be used.

Dents and aslo scratches happen to hardwood floors often. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over a long perios of time furniture legs cause dents and scratches also. It might be an idea to add some area rugs under your furniture or there are also felts available that go directly under the furniture legs. This can be the same as hardwood floors to many people. Also you could add some area rugs to the highly traveled areas in your home such as kitchens, hallways, in front of the couch.

Some homeowners like the character that scratches and dents give the floor. But when you feel that you are in fact sick of them you can get your hardwood flooring refinished. You may need to have your hardwood floors refinished every ten years or so, this will also add a protective top coat to your hardwood floors, just like new furniture usually. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.